Adamastos
by zimasoldat
Summary: Evie wasn't particularly good with kids, but she loved babysitting Annabelle Lennox. The little girl was sweet and kind, even if she did have a strange habit of whispering to her dad's big black truck when she thought no one could see her. (A few years post ROTF. Sides/OC/Sunny)
1. Chapter 1

**Hi there! So, this is my first story on here! This chapter is kind of a test run, just to introduce my OC and stuff :)**

** it will be OC/Autobot, but I am currently undecided on the pairing? The two I'm considering at the moment are OC/Ironhide and OC/Sideswipe (or possibly sideswipe/OC/sunstreaker?). If you have any suggestions or opinions, I would really love to hear them, especially if you could help me out with choosing a pairing! Thank you so much guys**

Babysitting was not as easy as Evie Tadros had thought it was going to be. It had seemed like a great idea at first; make sure someone else's kid doesn't get in trouble, and eat other people's food. What could go wrong?

Simple: it turned out that Evie was incredibly awkward around kids. Growing up an only child with no contact with younger children could do that to a person, she supposed. Which was possibly why she was sitting in the comfortably homey living room of her neighbour's house, watching their daughter throw her crayons at the cream walls.

Annabelle Lennox was an incredibly sweet little girl; only five years old, with gorgeous honey-blonde curls and sky blue eyes. Her chubby cheeks dimpled when she smiled, which was often. Her love for frilly dresses was rivalled only by her love of destroying her mother's perfect, unblemished sitting room walls.

"Um," Evie began uncertainly, tucking a stray lock of her dark hair behind her ear, "Hey. Hey, uh, Annabelle?"

The little girl paused, crayons clenched in her raised chubby fist. "Yeah?"

"Do you want to, maybe, um, stop?" Evie smiled nervously, "if you want?"

Apparently taking pity on her incredibly inept babysitter, Annabelle dropped her crayons on the floor. Before Evie could breathe a sigh of relief, Annabelle clambered to her feet and padded over to the couch. "Can we go to the park?"

"Oh.." Evie thought for a moment, "I guess so? Do you have a stroller or something?"

"I'm _five_!" Annabelle exclaimed indignantly, a scowl creasing her creamy pale forehead.

"Yes, you are. Right. Okay." Evie nodded, smiling tightly. "Okay. You need a coat." It was a relief when Annabelle didn't argue, simply nodded and ran upstairs to get her jacket. Evie waited by the stairs, glancing around the hallway. Mrs Lennox was a lovely lady, and she had decorated the whole house with sweet family portraits and kitschy decorations. Evie was gazing at one in particular, a photo of Mrs Lennox with Annabelle and another man by the seaside. The man could only be Mr Lennox, a man with the same blue eyes and bright smile as his daughter. Evie had never met him; he was a captain in the military, and had been deployed somewhere overseas for the past couple of years.

Annabelle appeared at the top of the stairs wearing a baby pink windbreaker and purple boots, looking like a poster child for The Gap. She bounced down the stairs, beaming, and grabbed for Evie's hand. "Ready!"

Evie grabbed her own coat and the spare key of the house that Mrs Lennox had left her, before allowing Annabelle to tug her out of the house. Despite it being February the day was warm enough, so there were plenty of people milling about. Annabelle was thankfully far less awkward than her babysitter, and gladly took the older girl's hand to pull her along.

With Annabelle leading them both, they reached the park two blocks over in a little under ten minutes, and Annabelle let go of Evie's hand to run to the playground. The park was busy, but Annabelle still managed to get on a free swing. "Evie!" She screeched, "Push me!"

It was a good thing, Evie supposed, that Annabelle wasn't put off by Evie's lack of experience with kids, or her lack of conversational skills. Maybe all kids were like that, she wasn't sure. Still, it was getting easier to relax around the little girl.

They spent nearly two and a half hours at the park; making their rounds at the playground, before moving on to feed the ducks. Evie finally decided it was time to go when she saw Annabelle's head nodding. The walk back to the Lennox's house took a bit longer than the walk to the park; only because Annabelle had insisted that Evie carry her home. The five year old had fallen asleep in Evie's arms a block away from the house, her face nestled into Evie's neck.

Mrs Lennox's car was in the driveway when Evie reached the house, so she didn't need the spare key she had been given. Annabelle didn't stir as they entered the house again. She stayed sound asleep as Evie trudged upstairs and laid her carefully down on the frilly pink bed in the little girl's bedroom.

Mrs Lennox was sitting in the kitchen when Evie returned downstairs, and she looked up and smiled gratefully at the babysitter. "Evie. How did everything go? Did Annabelle behave?"

"Oh yeah, everything was fine." Bouncing on her toes, Evie smiled and put her hands in her pockets. "We just went to the park for a while, and Annabelle conked out on the way back. I just put her to bed."

"You're an angel." Mrs Lennox stood up from the table and walked around it. She looked tired. "I know it's a lot to ask, but do you think you could mind Annie tomorrow, too?"

As an English graduate, there weren't a lot of job opportunities pouring in Evie's windows, and she needed to make a living somehow. She smiled cheerfully. "I'd love to, Mrs Lennox."

"Sarah, please." Mrs Lennox waved a hand dismissively, "I'm sorry to have to take up all your time, I'm just so busy at the moment."

"Oh, don't worry Mrs- um, Sarah. I enjoyed myself today." Evie smiled with an easy shrug. It wasn't like she had anything better to be doing. "More than I thought I was going to, really. What's keeping you so busy? Anything I can help with?" Evie tensed almost immediately after the words had left her mouth, fearing she had overstepped her boundaries.

But allaying her fears, Sarah just laughed lightly. "Oh, I've been trying to get everything sorted; my husband, Will, is coming home for a few weeks on leave." Excitement coloured her voice, belying the fatigue in her face.

"Oh, that's wonderful, Mrs Lennox!"

Beaming, Mrs Lennox nodded her head. "He should be home in less than a week, for the first time in almost two years!"

"I'm delighted for you," said Evie sincerely. She straightened her back and motioned towards the door. "I'll get going now then, and leave you to your planning. I'll see you tomorrow!"

**oOoOo**

Evie lived alone in a big house she had inherited from her father 3 years ago. She had been living with her grandmother when they got the letter; Ahmed Tadros had been stationed in Egypt, where he had been killed in an ensuing battle. The details of said battle were confidential. A few weeks later her grandmother passed away, leaving Evie - just turned eighteen - alone with a Purple Heart Award for a dead father and some old photos.

Then, only a day after her grandmothers funeral, two lawyers showed up at the café she had worked at; her grandmother's house was being repossessed by the bank._ But don't worry,_ they had told her, _your father invested in a house before he was deployed_. Being honest, Evie had never expected her father to be so organised about things - not that she was complaining. She had a roof over her head, and some money left to her by both her father and grandmother.

Sarah Lennox had been a blessing in those first few months; Evie would come home to the big empty house, only to find freshly cooked lasagne wrapped in cling film sitting outside her front door, or brownies or cookies. Such a small gesture had helped her to get through the worst of the loneliness and grief, and had kept her tied to the real world.

Evie was reflecting on all of this as she watched Annabelle drawing a picture, crayons held tight in her chubby little fists. She may be awkward around the kid, but she really was glad for the job, and grateful that she got the chance to try and pay back some of the kindness Sarah had shown her.

"Evie?"

"Hm?" Evie was pulled from her reverie, realising that Annabelle was staring at her. "Yes?"

"How come we look different?"

A flicker of a frown crossed her face. "What do you mean?"

"Our hair is different." Annabelle lifted a lock of her own golden curls, and then pointed at Evie's dark, thick, straight hair. "and our eyes."

Evie's father was Egyptian, and her mother Irish-American; as a result, Evie's features were very dark and distinct. Her eyes were a dark brown, her hair and eyebrows black, and her skin a golden tan. Evie smiled calmly and shrugged one shoulder. "My daddy was from Egypt. People are darker there."

"Oh." Annabelle frowned thoughtfully. "My daddy is from Detroit. He's pale."

That drew an honest laugh out of Evie, and a mischievous grin from the younger girl. Annabelle held up her picture for inspection, and Evie nearly melted; it was a drawing of a two girls - one with exaggerated yellow curls, and the other with black hair and dark eyes. They were holding hands and had massive, red grins across their faces. Evie took it tenderly, and eyed it closely. "It's very beautiful, Annabelle. You should draw more often, you're very good."

The grin that spread across Annabelle's face was the brightest the Evie had seen all day. "You really think so?"

"I sure do."

"You can keep it!"

"Really?" An involuntary little smile spread over Evie's own face as she glanced back down at the picture. "I'd like that."

"You can look at it and remember that we're best friends!" Annabelle crowed, clambering onto the couch to sit beside her babysitter. She lay her head down on Evie's lap and yawned. "Can we watch a movie now?"

Smiling, Evie nodded. Babysitting was the best idea she had had in a long time.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: hi guys! Thank you for the reviews on the last chapter from the two guest reviewers! We have one vote for Sides/****OC/Sunny now! (Again, the options are between that and Ironhide/OC or just Sideswipe/OC.) I'd really appreciate it if you could help me out with choosing!**

**Anyway, this chapter is longer th****an the last one! I'd love it if you could tell me what you think so far?**

It was a Friday afternoon, and Evie was helping Annabelle build a Lego house. The task was slow going, as Annabelle had forbidden the use of all Legos that weren't pink or purple. Mrs Lennox was racing around, cleaning and tidying the already clean-and-tidy house. Evie had offered her help, but Sarah had just smiled and squeezed her shoulder, before shaking her head. It was something she wanted to do for herself.

Mr Lennox was arriving home tomorrow, and Sarah was determined to make sure that the house was perfect. She had left to go to the shop to get various items like flowers, air fresheners, cleaning products and food. Evie had played with and made lunch for Annabelle while her mother was busy. Honestly, she was really growing to love minding Annabelle; it was only her third time watching over her, but the kid was like a little ray of sunshine.

"Evie!" Annabelle's whine brought Evie out of her own head. She was scowling, her little face all creased up and un-sunshine-like.

The little girl's source of irritation became apparent almost immediately; Evie had accidentally added a yellow Lego to the top of the pink and purple Lego tower. "Oh, sorry!"

Removing the source of her irritation and tossing it into the Lego bucket, Annabelle clicked her tongue impatiently. Sometimes it was difficult to remember that she was only five. "I said only pink and purple."

"I know, Annie, I'm sorry." Wincing, Evie replaced the empty space with a correctly coloured Lego block. "There, is that better?"

Satisfied, Annabelle nodded. After a while of stacking up the blocks, however, it began to get repetitive and Annabelle gave up out of boredom and frustration. She retreated to the couch, where she hid behind a cushion and watched Evie tidy away the Legos. "Evie? When will my daddy be here?"

"In about an hour and a half," said Evie, checking her watch. Her hair was scraped back off her face, but her hand still came up to brush it back out of sheer habit. "Are you excited?"

A genuine smile spread across Annabelle's rosy cheeks and she nodded happily. "My daddy's been away for two whole years - that means he hasn't seen me since I was three."

"I'd say he'll be amazed by how much you've grown." said Evie, pushing the bucket of Lego back onto its place on the shelf.

"Last time he saw me I was only little, and now I'm a big girl!" The exclamation was accompanied by Annabelle stretching her arms out wide in a demonstration of how much she'd grown. "He's gonna be real surprised! And Hide's gonna be surprised too!"

"Hmm? Who's Hide?" Evie asked absently, focused on clearing up a couple of Lego pieces that she had missed in her initial cleanup.

"My friend! I'm not allowed talk 'bout him." The tone was strangely serious for Annabelle, who never usually sounded so serious. "But you can meet him soon and say hi! Just don't tell nobody I told you."

"I won't."

"Promise." The child's eyes were serious as she watched her babysitter settle down next to her on the couch. "Promise you won't tell nobody that I told you, and promise you'll say hello to Hide."

_Maybe 'Hide' is an imaginary friend?_, Evie considered. Whatever he was, it was clear that Annabelle took him very seriously. Lowering her head so that her brown eyes were level with Annabelle's blue ones, Evie said "I promise. Cross my heart and hope to die."

Annabelle nodded and settled back, satisfied with her minder's loyalty. "Good. Cause it's s'posed to be top secret. Hey, can we watch a movie?"

It hadn't taken long to learn that '_can we watch a movie_' meant _'let's watch Beauty and the Beast_', so that was the movie that Evie put on now. The sounds and songs had become familiar at this stage: they had watched the movie at least six times in the past couple of times Evie had been over. She didn't mind, as Annabelle was usually so absorbed in the story that she didn't notice if Evie left or not. So as soon as the opening scene came on, Evie slipped back into the kitchen to see if there was anything she could help with.

Mrs Lennox was standing at the sink, looking vaguely dazed. There was no reaction the first time Evie called her name, but the second time she blinked and said "Oh, Evie. Sorry, I'm just.. I'm trying to think of what else I have to do." A quick glance at the clock on the kitchen wall, "Will is going to be here in an hour and twenty minutes, and I-"

"The house looks great, Sarah" Evie said honestly; every surface was gleaming, there were new bouquets of flowers in the hall and in the kitchen, and the whole house smelled like fresh cooking. "I don't think there's anything more you can do. Will is gonna be delighted to see you and Annabelle, he probably won't even notice the house until all the excitement has worn off."

Sarah had begun nodding almost as soon as Evie had started to speak, and was nodding in earnest by the time she had finished. "Yes. Yes, of course. I just-" a smile curled her lips upwards, and her eyes lit up. She looked even younger than her already young age - as far as Evie was able to guess, she was only in her early thirties. "I just can't wait to see him. We Skype as often as we can, but it's not the same as being able to touch him in person, and we're able to video call less and less often because of how busy he's been-" She cut herself off with a wry smile and a shake of her head, before reaching out to clasp Evie's shoulder with a laugh. "You'll understand someday. I'm sure you have boys falling on your doorstep; when you find the right person, you'll never want to let them go."

Evie smiled, albeit slightly sadly. That was very similar to how her father had used to talk about her mother. "I have far less boys falling at my feet than I would like." she tried for a joke, but her nervous laugh ruined the humorous effect somewhat. Thankfully, Sarah had the good grace to laugh and pretend it was actually funny. "Anyway, I should get going, Mrs Lennox. I shouldn't be here when your husband arrives, it should be family time." She continued talking even when Sarah began a half-hearted protest. "I hope you have a wonderful family dinner."

Mrs Lennox embraced her with a warm hug. "Thank you, dear. I'm sorry to ask this of you, especially after you've been so good over the past couple of days, but I was wondering if it would be possible for you to mind Annabelle tomorrow? It's just that I thought maybe myself and Will might go out to a restaurant together, and-"

Holding up her hand in a '_say no more_' gesture, Evie said "I'd be delighted to, Mrs Lennox. What time should I be here for?"

After they had agreed that Evie would arrive at 7pm the following day, the babysitter took her leave, poking her head in to wave goodbye to Annabelle before heading home. The walk to her house was uneventful and short, as she only lived down the street. Despite herself, her thoughts turned back to Mrs Lennox's words; it would be nice, she thought, to have someone speak of her with as much love and affection evident in their face and in their words as Mrs Lennox had about her husband. She hadn't dated in a long time - her last boyfriend had broken up with her when they were eighteen, because he had wanted to move on to bigger and better things. That was three years ago, and she hadn't met anyone that had sparked anything yet. She was lonely, she guessed. It was the kind of lonely that settled deep in her bones and made it difficult to breathe sometimes, because she had so much she wanted to say and no one to say it to. Part of it was her own fault; after her father and grandmother had died, she had retreated into herself. The few friends she'd had tried to help in whatever way possible, but they had their own lives to live. When she had moved away from her grandmother's house in Atlanta all the way out to the house that her dad had bought in the tiny town in Nevada, she hadn't exactly settled in to the community. The closest thing she had to friends there was the Lennox's, but even that was more of a work relationship.

_Friends first_, Evie thought firmly, as she unlocked her front door and stepped inside, _then you can worry about boyfriends_. The house was cold, so she didn't waste time dawdling around in the hall. She trudged straight up the stairs and into her room, before toppling on the bed, fully clothed. Pulling her blankets up around her head, Evie closed her eyes and slept.

**OoOoOoOo**

It was easy to see where Annabelle got her startlingly blue eyes and dimpled cheeks from when confronted with her father. Will Lennox was tanned, undoubtedly from his constant exposure to the elements, with dark brown hair and a firm handshake. He was tall and lean, with a sharp gaze and broad shoulders.

He intimidated the _crap_ out of Evie. When she had first knocked on the Lennox's door, it had been Mr Lennox that had answered. He was friendly enough, with a greeting and a polite smile. But he hadn't let her into the house - instead, he had closed the door behind him and gestured for her to take a walk with him.

After only a brief hesitation, Evie nodded and followed his lead down the driveway. Will came to a stop by a black GMC Topkick parked parallel to the house and leaned casually against the hood. He surveyed her carefully without saying a word. He only spoke when Evie began shifting uncomfortably in the silence. "You're the new babysitter."

"Um. Yes, sir." She nearly winced - sir?

"Evelyn Dendera Tadros."

"... Yes." Evie spoke a bit more warily now, frowning slightly. She hadn't been called her by her full name in a long time .

"My wife tells me that she never asked you for references because you only live down the road." Mr Lennox was quiet for another moment, apparently thinking about something. "You knew someone in the service?"

"Um.. My dad."

"What was his name?"

"Ahmed Tadros."

Will's eyes tightened, and he looked away. A long gust of air was expelled in a whoosh, and he nodded. "I knew him. We fought alongside each other in Egypt three years ago."

It felt as though she had been punched in the stomach. Evie just stared at him, her eyes so wide they hurt. "He died in Egypt three years ago."

The older man nodded grimly. "Yeah, I know. I'm sorry for your loss."

Jaw clenched, Evie looked away. The sun was shining, and the branches from a tree above them threw long, patterned shadows across the ground. Evie stared at the patterns as she thought.

"I'm guessing that's why you live here."

That caught Evie's attention, and she looked up in some confusion. "What do you mean?"

"The government gave you the house as compensation, right? Because your dad died at that battle in Egypt."

"They.. told me he had bought the house before he died." The words came slowly, as though her brain was clogged up with cotton wool.

"Oh. Yeah, that would make sense." It sounded as though he was backtracking.

"The government doesn't give houses to people as compensation for their family dying in the military."

"I know they don't." said Mr Lennox, shrugging his shoulders and tapping his fingers impatiently against the grill of his truck. "Look, I wanted to ask you one thing; you're the babysitter. That means that my little girl's safety is in your hands while I'm not here. I need your guarantee that you aren't gonna fuck up and get her hurt."

... _What_? Evie stared at him in total confusion. He looked 100% serious. "Well, she hasn't died in my care yet." Evie tried to joke, but her laugh caught and died out in her throat at Mr Lennox's stormy expression. "No. That was not funny at all. Um.. I'm not very good at jokes."

That, at the very least, took some of the harshness out of Will's stony glare. He sighed, "Jesus, you're just a _kid_."

"Um.. I'm twenty-one." And seriously, he was only about ten years older.

"I meant that you're innocent. Like a little puppy." Will pushed himself off the Topkick and took a step forwards, shaking his head. "I'm still gonna need your guarantee that you're not gonna let Annie get hurt while she's in your care."

"I'll.. try my best?"

"Good." Mr Lennox clapped his hand on her shoulder, and began steering her back towards the house. "Annabelle is waiting for you, and my wife is looking forward to this dinner tonight."

Dazed, Evie just nodded. When they were in the door, Will turned for the stairs and Evie turned for the living room, but she paused and looked back. "Mr Lennox?" She called very quietly, regaining his attention. He shot her an inquisitive look, one foot already half raised to take a step up the stairs. "Welcome home.

He gave her a genuine smile this time, but didn't reply. He looked significantly less terrifying when he wasn't looming over her and scowling. He turned and continued making his way upstairs.

Relief washed over over her - at least he hadn't shot her or anything. She understood that he was protective of his daughter; he must have seen some awful things while he was deployed, so it was only natural that his desire to keep his little girl safe was ratcheted up. It was sweet, in a very terrifying way. Still, he was being more than a little paranoid. This neighbourhood was quiet and safe, and the crime rates were so low they were practically nonexistent. What was he so afraid of? And what were the chances that he had not only known, but had_ fought alongside_ her father in his final battle? That was some coincedence. Evie didn't really believe in coincedences.


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: I just wanted to say thank you so much for the reviews from TheSarcasticKnight and**** XxMichelleMikaelsonxX!**

**also, I'm pretty sure that this is going to be Sides/OC/Sunny!**

Over the following two weeks, Evie had become something of a regular fixture in the Lennox household. She didn't even get paid for being there - she had refused the money when Sarah had offered. Honestly, their company was more than enough and she was always happy to bring Annabelle to the park, or play games or watch movies.

Maybe it was sad that she was twenty-one years old and her only friend was a five year old, but she didn't care. Annabelle didn't behave like a five year old, anyway; she was very intelligent for her age. Evie had noticed one odd thing about the child though; she seemed to have a rather strange habit of whispering to her dad's Topkick when she thought no one was looking. Curious about this, Evie had inquired about it one afternoon when they were sitting together on the front lawn, throwing bread at some crows. Annabelle had just smiled cryptically and put a single finger over her lips, before instructing Evie to say hello to the truck. Evie had done so in great confusion, and Annabelle had told her not to tell anyone, especially her father. Mr Lennox was still pretty frosty, but not nearly as cold as he had been; although he seemed constantly on the lookout for something around the neighbourhood. His tension had bled into the atmosphere of the household, and once or twice Evie had felt as though something was watching her - she put it down to Mr Lennox's paranoia rubbing off on her, though.

The weather was cold for the beginning of March, and Evie was sitting on the porch of the Lennox house watching Annabelle whisper to Mr Lennox's car. It was an odd sight, for sure; a little girl dressed all in pink, hunkering down in front of a colossal truck to whisper into its grille. Evie wished she knew what Annabelle was telling the truck, but she wouldn't ask for fear of being rude. She was so curious, though. For reasons unknown to Evie, the truck was constantly parked along the road, parallel to the front of the house rather than in the driveway, and Annabelle had seated herself on the kerb beside it.

As Evie was drifting off into a vague sort of daydream, a loud giggle from Annabelle drew her attention back. The little girl had thrown her head back in laughter, as though the car had just said something very funny. Evie raised an eyebrow, "What was the joke, Annie?"

When Annabelle turned her head, she looked startled, as though she had forgotten Evie was there. "There was no joke." She smiled innocently, before turning her attention back to the truck.

"Right." Evie murmured to herself, her eyebrows raised so high they had nearly disappeared into her hair. She had never seen Annabelle laugh so hard - granted, Evie wasn't particularly funny, so there was probably very little to actually laugh at. Still, it rankled a bit that she found the car more amusing than her babysitter. "Hey, I think your mom has food ready."

After one last whisper and a fond pat to the hood of the truck, Annabelle skipped back up the driveway and grabbed Evie's hand. As they walked back into the house, Evie threw a last curious glance over her shoulder at the black truck.

The delicious smell of bacon and eggs permeated the whole kitchen, even with the windows thrown open. Mrs Lennox smiled widely at the two girls when they came in, and gestured for them to sit down. Annabelle was still chattering away, changing topics at a rapid fire pace as her young mind followed different strands of thought. The sun shone in the window, bathing the room in a soft golden light. Evie was happier than she had been in a long time.

She could heard Mr Lennox in the hall, speaking in hushed and frustrated tones to someone over the phone. Sarah kept glancing in his direction, even though he was out of sight, with a worried expression on her face. Evie didn't notice - or maybe she just blocked it out. After a few minutes, Mr Lennox returned to the kitchen and took a seat beside Annabelle. He looked tense, but that seemed to be normal for him.

What wasn't so normal was the way Sarah kept shooting him worried, questioning looks that were going ignored. She set down breakfast plates on the table full of food before taking a seat opposite her husband, beside Evie. It was impossible to miss the tension in their eyes and bodies.

Unless you were Annabelle, who continued chatting about the mushroom she had discovered growing in the grass the day before in between big mouthfuls of food. Towards the end of the meal, Annabelle looked to her mother. "Mommy? If the house caught fire, what would you save?"

Sarah looked startled. "What do you mean, sweetie?"

Across the table, her husband grinned. His shoulders relaxed slightly from where they had been tight with tension. "That's an interesting question, Annie." He leaned back in his chair, stretching his arms high over his head and winking at Sarah. "Think about it, honey; your house is on fire. This house, filled with all the sentimental crap you've collected over the years, is going up in flames and you've only got time to grab one thing. What do you save?"

As soon as he'd stopped speaking, Sarah was reaching over the table and taking his hand, her eyes soft and emotive. Her other hand reached for Annabelle. "I'd save my family."

And suddenly, Evie felt very much like she was intruding. This was a family, and she didn't belong. She tried to sit back and be as unobtrusive as possible, unwilling to ruin their perfect loving moment. But then Annabelle was swinging around to face her with a big beam on her face, and saying "What about you, Evie?"

And really, what could Evie say? There was nothing she could think of that had any true value to her, and saying her phone or something equally as material just seemed... _wrong _after Sarah had answered with such love and adoration in her voice. But Annabelle was gazing at her with wide, expectant eyes and Evie knew she had to say something. "Um.. That's a good question."

There was an awkward silence, during which Mrs Lennox apparently took pity on Evie and said "What would you save, Annabelle?"

"My Legos." Annabelle replied seriously, "because plastic melts in fire."

Later on, when Evie was helping Annabelle clean her room, she kept replaying the question in her head.

_"Your house is on fire. This house, filled with all the sentimental crap you've collected over the years, is going up in flames and you've only got time to grab one thing. What do you save?"_

The fact of the matter is, there was nothing in Evie's life that was so important to her that she'd risk herself to save it. Sarah had answered with such ease, "_I'd save my family_", because there was nothing in her life that was more important to her. And Will felt the same, of course, that was plain to see just by the expression on his face whenever he looked at his wife and child.

Evie didn't have anyone like that. No family to love her, no family for her to love. She didn't even have _friends_, for Gods sake. The closest thing she could think of was Annabelle; if Annie was in the house, Evie would grab her without a second thought. But Annabelle had loving parents who would do the same. It was ridiculous, really, fretting over a silly question about a metaphorical flaming house.

With a sigh, Evie looked to Annabelle. The little girl was cleaning out under her bed, and had refused any help from Evie. "Hey, I'm just gonna go outside and get some air, okay?"

A hum of acknowledgment from Annie followed Evie out into the hall and down the stairs. She struggled to put the whole "house on fire" thing out of her head, but her mind just kept coming back to it. She passed into the hall, and heard Mr Lennox talking in a grim tone with someone over the phone. Afraid of interrupting, she hurried quietly into the hall and out the front door. As the door closed behind her, she heard snatches of what Will was saying; something about a hostile target, and possibly needing backup. Evie didn't pay it much mind - he was probably talking to some of his military companions on a mission.

It was a nice, quiet day. There was hardly anyone out and about, even though the sun was out and the wind was dry and warm. Evie wandered down the path, coming to a stop at the end of the drive. She didn't put much thought into strolling over to Mr Lennox's truck and settling herself beside it, just as Annabelle often did. As she sat, she noticed that the neighbourhood was strangely devoid of any of its usual sounds; there was no laughter, or children shouting, or even birds tweeting.

Absently, Evie ran her hand over the metal of the front bumper, over the red GMC logo. It was warm and comforting beneath her touch. She could see, in a strange way, why Annabelle enjoyed speaking to the vehicle - it was almost like it had a presence. She wasn't sure how long she sat there for; probably only a couple of minutes, but in the lazy heat of the quiet afternoon, it felt like hours.

"Evelyn!"

Turning, Evie watched Mr Lennox stride down the driveway towards her. His jaw was clenched, and there was a light sheen of sweat across his forehead. Evie climbed to her feet using the hood of the Topkick as a support, and watched him approach.

"Go back inside." He said shortly as he came to a stop in front of her.

"Is everything okay, Mr Lennox?"

"Please." He wasn't looking at her; his gaze was fixed firmly off into the distance, scanning the road for any perceived threats. "Just go inside."

There was steel in his voice, and it made Evie shrink back and nod meekly. Without another word, she turned on her heel and made her way back up the driveway, brushing off her jeans as she went. She glanced back once before she closed the front door behind her; Will was standing by his truck, unmoving. He was just surveying his surroundings. He appeared to be waiting for something.

With a small shiver, Evie closed the door. It was incredibly possible that Mr Lennox was imagining dangers now that he was back in civilian life, even if it was only temporary.

Sarah was waiting in the kitchen, twisting her hands together. She looked up when Evie entered the kitchen. "Did-?"

"He, um, he's outside." Evie pointed over her shoulder, towards the door. "He's.. looking for something, I think?"

"I see." said Mrs Lennox in little more than a whisper. She shot a quick smile in Evie's direction. It looked forced. "I'm sure everything is fine."

"I'm sure it is." Evie agreed. She only sounded a little bit more convinced than Sarah. In truth, she was more than a little freaked out. What kind of threat could they be under? But that line of thinking was ridiculous - they couldn't be under any threat, everything was fine. The only thing suggesting that something was wrong was Mr Lennox's paranoia. But the tension had been building in the household all week, until it felt like everyone was attached to glass threads and one wrong move with shatter them into a million pieces. But hey, it was possible that she was only being dramatic. "Hey, why don't we get Annabelle, and we can all sit down and watch a movie together?"

Mrs Lennox seemed grateful for the distraction, so they called Annabelle downstairs and put on a movie. It was '_Beauty and the Beast'._ No one had expected different. Annabelle kept up a constant commentary on the movie because she thought that the two grown-ups weren't paying attention properly (which was true, of course; Sarah was tense and kept looking anxiously out the window, and Evie found herself unconsciously copying the older woman's actions)

**OoOoOoOoO**

Later, when it was time for Evie to go, Will and his truck were gone from the driveway. As she walked down the street, she glanced back at the empty space the big black truck usually occupied - it was funny how empty the road looked without it.

The sun was dipping low in the sky, and darkness was creeping in from the east. There was a definite chill in the wind, and Evie wrapped her coat tight around her waist as she hurried down the street towards her house. An odd kind of foreboding feeling hung in the air, and she felt the hair along her arms and the back of her neck prick up uneasily. The feeling of being watched was back, but a quick glance around only proved that she was alone as she scurried down the road. The lack of people around was a bit unusual, but the whole neighbourhood had been empty for most of the day. An engine rumbled in the distance, but it was mostly quiet - almost too quiet. Really, there was no reason to be feeling so anxious; it was a nice neighbourhood, she was nearly home, there was no one around, and it wasn't even fully dark yet. But that foreboding feeling was only growing stronger, and the air felt electrified - as though even her surroundings were waiting for something to happen.

"Evelyn."

The call of her name almost caused her to scream. She had been so caught up in her unease, she hadn't notice Will's massive truck driving up behind her and rolling to a stop. "Mr Lennox." She said, sounding slightly breathless with fright. She laughed a little, although it sounded anxious, "You scared me."

Will's eyes were hard, but he wasn't looking at her; he was surveying the surrounding area, glaring at shadows. He leaned out the window and sighed, "Where are you going?"

"Um.. Home?"

"Why are you walking alone?"

"I- I always walk home alone, sir."

The engine of the truck seemed to rumble, and Will smacked the wheel absentmindedly. He didn't seem to notice Evie's confusion at the action, "Get in."

"Sorry?"

"Get in the truck, Ms Tadros."

"Oh, don't worry Mr Lennox, it's only another five minutes to my house. You go back home, I-"

"Evelyn," Mr Lennox interrupted, jaw clenched tight. He was still looking around, blue eyes bright and wary. "_Please,_ get in the damn truck."

"I-" Evie opened her mouth, about to protest, but the engine of the truck roared angrily and Will glared at her, so she stayed quiet and walked around the other side of the truck. She had to give a little jump to actually get into the huge truck, then she settled back into the seat and folded her hands on her lap.

Will was quiet as he started the truck again and drove down the street - it seemed all his attention went into his unnecessary vigilance. The silence seemed to stretch between them in the cab, until Evie spoke up again. "Um.. Thank you. For the, uh.. the ride home."

"That's okay." Will said evenly. He drummed his fingers restlessly on the steering wheel as he drove, and didn't say anything else.

Evie looked out the window and watched the dark neighbourhood blur past. She didn't give Will any directions; he seemed to know where he was going. Sure enough, he pulled up outside her house only a few minutes later. She considered asking how he knew where she lived, but she figured Sarah had probably told him.

She opened the door of the truck and hopped out, before leaning back in, "Thank you, Mr Lennox. I'll see you at the weekend."

"Evelyn?"

Pausing in the middle of shutting the truck door, Evie glanced back up, "Hmm?"

"Don't go walking in the dark on your own again."

"Right." Evie smile sheepishly, before closing the truck door and waving to Mr Lennox over her shoulder.

His only sign of acknowledgement was a slight twitch of his lips, and he revved the engine before backing out of her drive and finally returning home.


	4. Chapter 4

Grocery shopping was a necessary evil that rolled around every couple of weeks when the meagre supply of food in Evie's house ran out. Honestly, she could have probably gotten by without the grocery run but old habits die hard, so every second or third Wednesday of the month she got the bus to the local Walmart and collected her necessities, occasionally throwing in a nice t-shirt or pair of jeans if she saw any.

It was the second Wednesday in April, and Evie was strolling aimlessly around the store, vaguely eyeing various toothpastes and organic cabbages_. I should have made a list_, she thought absently, picking up and examining a box of pears. It was hard to know what she'd actually use, considering most of the stuff she bought often went wasted.

In the end, her shopping basket was dismally empty - nothing but milk, cereal, a couple of vegetables and some toiletries. She paid and left the store, squinting her eyes as she emerged into the bright sunlight. As far as she knew, the next bus home wasn't for another ten minutes, so she made her way over to the bus stop and settled down to sit on the ground. As she waited, she watched cars drive past her; it was mostly the same old battered pick-up trucks and dirty Volvos, but at one stage two cute little Chevrolets drove past, one red and one green, revving their engines and play-racing like total goofballs.

By the time the bus came, no cars had passed by in almost five minutes and Evie had been ready to die of boredom. She ended up being the only passenger on the whole bus, so she sat up the front and gazed out the window until they came to her stop.

The neighbourhood seemed quiet, and the park was empty when Evie walked past it. The only noise she could hear was the distant noise of engines snarling; the sound was remarkably aggressive for such a peaceful day. As Evie walked, it seemed the engine sounds were getting closer, although she couldn't discern where exactly they were coming from.

It was as she was crossing the street that a police cruiser tore down the road towards her. The squeal of tires and the roar of the engines had Evie turning and stepping out of the way just in time to narrowly avoid getting clipped by one of the side-view mirrors. She yelped in surprise and staggered back, carried by her momentum, before toppling over and falling on her back. Her elbow cracked against the pavement and she hissed in pain.

She had barely pushed herself back up into a sitting position before another vehicle shot up the street in apparent pursuit of the police cruiser. It took Evie a moment to recognise the other vehicle, but when she did her brow furrowed in total bewilderment. That was Will Lennox's truck. What the hell was Mr Lennox doing chasing a police cruiser?

The two vehicles raced down the street and out of sight, and Evie stared after them even when they were gone from sight. After a long moment, she climbed to her feet and dusted herself off, wincing at the sharp pain in the elbow she had smacked when she had fallen. It was bleeding a little, but it was nothing serious. She retrieved her measly little shopping bag from where it had fallen when she had been knocked over. _I could have been seriously hurt, _she thought with a small frown as she began walking again. Mr Lennox and a cop were two people that should have definitely known better than to drive so recklessly in a populated area.

She had just begun to ponder why on earth Mr Lennox would have been chasing a police cruiser when two more cars came tearing up the street. As they came closer, she recognised them as the red and green little Chevrolets she had seen at the bus stop. "What the-?"

The green one skidded to a sharp stop right beside her, and the door popped open. Evie stared at it in no small amount of trepidation, and didn't move. The engine revved impatiently, and a male voice that seemed to come from the actual vehicle said, "C'mon shorty, we don't got time fo' this! Get in!"

The windows were tinted black, so Evie had to step out onto the street and duck her head around the door to glance inside the car, trying to get a look at the driver. Almost as soon as she had stepped off the pavement, the other car came around from behind and opened its door. The door collided with her back and knocked her into the first car.

She toppled in through the open door and landed heavily in the passenger seat, knocking her head off the gear shift as she did so. "Ow! Hey, what the _hell_-!" Apparently she had gotten herself caught in the seatbelt when she had fallen into the car, because she found herself already strapped in when she struggled into an upright position.

"Got her! Okay, let's go!"

Evie turned, her mouth open and ready to shout at her captor - but there was no one in the driver's seat. Frozen, all she could do was stare at the empty seat as the car took off down the street, following its red counterpart. No one was driving the car, though the wheel turned when the car did and the gas pedal was pressed down.

The car was driving itself, and she was stuck in the passenger seat.

Evie screamed, so loudly her throat grew raw. She tried to jerk away, but the seatbelt held her fast. To her surprise, the voice from the car let out an answering shriek.

The _car_ was _screaming_. What the _hell was going on?_!

"Why are ya screamin'?!" The voice yelled.

"Why are _you_ screaming?! What is going on?" Evie cried, tugging at the seatbelt. Panicked tears pricked her eyes as she fought against the restraints. There were two possibilities as to what was happening; she was being kidnapped by two talking cars that could drive themselves, or she was hallucinating. She was really, _really_ hoping for the latter.

"Chill out, lady! Ol' Hide is gonna whup Barricade's aft, and we was s'posed to make sure his charges are all safe and sound!" The voice seemed to be coming from the radio and the speakers all around the car. "The other li'l squishies are back at the house."

Evie clutched at her hair and barely withheld more screams. "Hide." She caught onto the name, her brain replaying it over and over again. "Hide. Like.. Annabelle's imaginary friend?"

There was a silence that somehow managed to sound confused. "Uh.. If he heard ya say that, he wouldn't be very happy."

"The truck. Oh my god. Holy shit. Is it like you? Will's truck? Does it speak, and drive itself?"

"Uhh.." The voice sounded uneasy. "Whattaya mean? Ya have met him before, right?"

"_No_!" Evie shrieked, clutching the leather seat. "No, I have never met a freaking talking car!"

"Slag." The car's voice changed suddenly, as though he were talking to someone else, "Mudflap, I think we've blown our cover."

In the back of her mind, Evie registered that she was hyperventilating. Her vision was blurry, and her breaths were coming so fast it made her chest hurt. "Let me out. Please, please, please. You've gotta let me out."

The voice didn't reply; they had left the neighbourhood and the town behind, and were headed towards the Nevada desert. The buildings disappeared behind them, and the road soon turned to sand. The car began to speak up again, complaining about sand getting into its undercarriage. Evie ignored it, too focused on what was happening around her. Why were they going to the desert? Her mind jumped to an extreme conclusion - the cars were going to kill her. A wave of panicked nausea washed over her, and she shrank back into the seat, "Oh my god. I'm gonna be sick."

"Oh, _hell_ naw!" The brakes screeched as the car skidded to a stop, and Evie was thrown forwards. The seatbelt cut into her hard, before it retracted and the door flew open. The seat tilted violently, and she was flung from the car.

Evie yelped as her face collided with the hot sand and her hands scraped along the ground. The knees of her jeans ripped as she scrambled along on her hands and knees, trying to get away from the freaking possessed cars. The sound of whirring gears and clashing metal had Evie turning around, and she froze at what she saw.

The green car had become a green metal man, who was brushing himself off and yelling. "She was gon' purge all o' her nasty organic juices in me!"

Evie stared. Her chest was heaving, and her throat was raw and dry from the sand that she had accidentally swallowed when she had fallen. As sore as her throat was, she still managed a scream as she pushed herself to her feet and ran.

She didn't get very far; her battered old Converse weren't exactly made for sprinting across hot desert sand, and her jeans were restricting her long strides. She had barely gone a couple of metres before the green robot overtook her and snatched her up. He was probably about eight feet tall, and he was well able to throw her over his metal shoulder and haul her back to the other car.

The other car had become a robot too, this one red, and he smacked the other one over the head when he came close enough. "Why'd ya let her run? We're meant to be keeping her safe, dumbaft!"

A soft groan escaped Evie's throat as she was jostled on the robot's shoulder. From her position, she could see the plates on its back shift and move, revealing light grey metal underneath the green plating and thin luminescent blue wires snaking like veins. "Please.." She whispered.

The world seemed to turn upside down for a moment, until she found herself deposited roughly on the sand. Her shoulder hit the ground hard and she groaned again, closing her eyes tight to protect them from the dust blowing in the wind. Behind her, the green robot said, "Hey, there's Hide."

Evie rolled over on the sand and came up into a sitting position. Her clothes were ripped, her hair was knotted and blowing in her face, and her shoulder and knees were bleeding sluggishly. Her breaths were coming fast and harsh, and her throat felt like she had been swallowing glass. Through the curtain of hair blowing in her face, she saw the shape of Will's truck approaching. "Oh god," she whispered, pushing her hair back with both hands. "Another one."

The red one (Mudflap, Evie recalled the green car saying) stepped forward, waving his arms enthusiastically. "Hey! Hey, there ya are! Yeah, so I guess we're a bit late-"

Will's truck seemed to lunge forward - the hood moved, and the vehicle's parts and plates began to shift. The sound of mechanical whirring and metal crashing accompanied the transformation, and Evie watched with her mouth agape as the truck seemed to grow and grow, until it was a colossal black robot standing at about twenty feet tall. He towered over Evie and the other two robots, and his metal face seemed to be arranged in a scowl. "Where were you two?" He yelled, his voice thunderous. His arm shot out and he grabbed both of the smaller robots, before clashing both their heads together. He dropped them both, and they fell yelping and shouting to the ground. "You show up _after_ Barricade escapes? What fragging good is _that_?!"

Gasping, Evie scrambled back as the giant robot took a step forward. He was still shouting at the smaller two - he had a funny accent that seemed a mix between English, American and something else - and he didn't seem to notice her at all. Until, of course, the green robot pointed her way and said, "We was busy savin' the squishy!"

'Hide' swivelled his head towards her then, optics blue and bright. He stared at her for a long moment, before slowly turning and staring at the other two robots, "_What_," he rumbled dangerously, "is she doing here?"

"You told us to make sure yo' charges were secure!" The green one cowered, "The other three was in the house, but she was just wandering around in the street!"

Evie was still staring at the ginormous thing Will's truck had become, struggling to comprehend how such a huge being had fit in such a comparatively small vehicle. "Holy shit." was all she could manage to say.

The huge being crouched down, apparently deciding to ignore his smaller friends for the time being. "Evelyn, isn't it?"

"Y-yeah." Evie whispered, drawing back. His head was so close to her now that she could see every plate and wire that made up his face. "Um.. Evie."

"Evie," he repeated, nodding. "I am Ironhide. I suppose we've met before."

A hysterical laugh burst out of her chest, "Yeah, I guess so."

A low growl built low in Ironhide's massive black chassis as he turned back to the other two. "Why is she leaking fluid?"

"Is she?" Mudflap asked innocently, peering closely at her. "Oh. I dunno. Hey, Skids? Why is the li'l squishy leakin'?"

The green one, Skids, appeared beside the other one and made a motion like he was scratching the back of his neck. "Uh.. I _may_ have thrown her onto tha ground a li'l hard?"

"Idiots." Ironhide rumbled, turning back to the little human. "So.. I am guessing that William did not tell you about us."

Evie laughed a little as she climbed back to her feet. It still had a hysterical edge to it. "Um, no. No, he seems to have forgotten to mention that his truck turns into a _giant robot!"_

Skids made a little protesting sound. "Hey, we ain't robots! We can think for ourselves!"

"_Some_ of us can." Ironhide muttered. The little metal ridges above his optics pulled together in a scowl, just like eyebrows. "We are mecha. Robots aren't sentient."

"Right. Of course they aren't." Evie tried to laugh again, but it came out as a whimper.

"Why don't you two make yourselves useful and make sure Barricade isn't skulking around somewhere?" Ironhide growled at his fellow rob- mecha. The smaller two scrambled around, before transforming in a clash of metal and speeding off into the desert. Ironhide turned his gaze back on the trembling mess Evie had turned into. "You won't be harmed," he sounded vaguely uncomfortable. "We are Autobots. We don't hurt your kind." When he got no reply, he continued, "You aren't supposed to know about us; your American government wishes us to remain a secret. I will tell Will that you are aware of us now, but I believe it will be mostly up to our Human Liaison officer as to what we're supposed to do with you."

"Oh god." Evie covered her face with trembling hands. "This is too much. I have no idea what's going on."

"Ah." Ironhide nodded and looked out at the desert, where the red and green Chevrolets could still be seen in the distance. "I imagine this is a lot to take in."

"What are you?" The question came out as barely a whisper and was muffled by her hands, but Ironhide was still able to pick it up.

"I already told you, we are Autobots."

"Did the government make you?"

A funny snorting sound came out of Ironhide's vocaliser then, and he shook his head. "Your race is a long way away from making anything half as advanced. I was not made. Our kind is not from Earth. Everything else is classified."

"Not from Earth. You're aliens?" Evie nodded, feeling faint. "Right. Of course. Um.. I'm not feeling so good."

"Hm. Your kind are so puny." This was said in an undertone, as though it wasn't really directed at her, but it didn't matter much anyway. The world had gone a little blurry around the edges of her vision and though she was distantly aware of the massive mech speaking, none of it seemed to be reaching her.

Evie took a step back as her vision went black. The last thing she saw was the ground rising up to meet her face.

**OoOoOoO**

Waking up was painful. Evie's eyes felt like they had shrunken in her head, and her brain felt like it had swollen in her skull. It took several attempts to actually open her eyes, and once they were open it took her a moment to realise where she was.

She was lying on her bed. In her bedroom. At home.

"What the-" her voice was dry and reedy, and her sentence died out as she coughed. Water, she thought as she rolled out of bed. She landed on her knees and hissed in pain; the flesh there was scraped and cut. That was when the memories came flooding back; the talking cars that had kidnapped her, Will's truck standing up and becoming a colossal metal giant. Her hands flew to her mouth as she whimpered. That could not have happened.

She walked to the window and peered out, and almost screamed when she saw the black Topkick parked outside. "Oh _god_," she whispered, and then winced when her throat burned. She needed water - everything else could be dealt with later.

Creeping down the stairs in her own house was more than a little undignified but Evie was taking no chances that the truck might hear her, as crazy as it sounded. When she reached the kitchen she began to relax slightly, and poured herself a glass of water and drained it. She was halfway through her second glass when someone cleared their throat behind her.

Evie jumped violently and dropped the glass; it shattered at her feet, which were thankfully protected by her shoes. She whirled around, only to see- "Mr Lennox?"

"Evelyn." Will was sitting at the corner of her kitchen table. He looked exhausted as he rubbed the bridge of his nose, "How are you feeling?"

Boy, but that was a loaded question. "I don't know." Evie answered honestly. "Um.. How did you get into my house?"

"You left the key under the mat." said Will. He stood up, and pushed the chair back into place. "Now, I need you to go upstairs and pack your things."

Evie blinked at him. "What?"

"It's not safe, they know Ironhide has been here. They'll come back."

"Who will?"

"We don't have time, Evelyn. Please go and pack your things."

She wanted to demand answers, to stand and cross her arms and pointblank refuse to move until she got information. But she just nodded submissively and turned, stepping over the broken glass and heading back up the stairs. There'd be time for answers later.

Once she was in her room, she grabbed a duffle bag and threw some underwear, some jeans and a couple of t-shirts in. She added a toothbrush and some shorts too, but she didn't really have much to bring anywhere. Her phone and charger went in the bag, and then she was finished.

She stood there for a moment and just stared at the wall, trying to work out what exactly had just happened to her. She had woken up in that very room that morning, and everything had been fine. How was it that she was standing in the same room later on the same day, and everything was so incredibly different?

Her name was called from downstairs, so she hefted her bag over her shoulder and traipsed down to the hallway. Mr Lennox was waiting by the door, drumming his fingers against his leg - he seemed to do that when he was under pressure. "Ready?"

"No."

"We have to go." His eyes softened, and he sighed and shook his head. "I'm sorry, Evelyn. This shouldn't have happened."

Evie didn't say anything, and after a moment Will opened the door and headed out into the sunlight. She followed him, but paused when she saw him getting into the truck. The truck that was actually a twenty foot tall alien robot. Was he _seriously_ going to drive it? She didn't move for a long time, until Will motioned to her impatiently. Even then she moved hesitantly, and it was with great reluctance and caution that she heaved herself into the passenger seat.

Will glanced at her from the driver's seat and raised an eyebrow. "You okay?"

"Mhm." Evie nodded stiffly, and remained completely still on the seat.

"He doesn't bite." A light laugh escaped Will as he watched the younger girl clutch her duffle bag to her chest.

"I know that." She said unconvincingly, eyeing the dashboard. "Um.. Can I put my bag down?"

The dashboard seemed to chuckle, just like the green little Chevrolet's had. "Yes." Ironhide's deep voice came from the radio.

She had just asked the truck permission to put her bag on the floor. This was crazy. Everything was crazy. Slowly, Evie lowered her bag to sit between her feet.

Will started the truck, and began driving down the street. It must be weird, to drive something you know is alive. They hadn't gone far before Ironhide spoke over the radio again. "The twins are at the rendez-vous location with Sarah and Annabelle. Airlift is ETA four minutes away."

As Will nodded his acknowledgement, Evie frowned. "Twins?"

"Hide tells me you've met them." Will said grimly, flexing his hands on the steering column. Outside, the buildings were beginning to become sparse and the road was turning to sand. They were headed to the desert again. "Mudflap and Skids. Apparently they dragged you into this whole thing."

"The little red and green cars?" said Evie, looking confused. "But.. They're robo- um, I mean mecha. How can they be twins?"

"It's complicated." Mr Lennox answered with a casual shrug. Evie got the impression that it was '_classified_'. "They say that they were protecting you - is that true?"

"Protecting me from what?"

Another shrug from Will. "Barricade, I suppose."

"The police cruiser?" Evie guessed cautiously. The engine revved in what she guessed was confirmation. "Uh.. I don't think so. I mean, I-"

Ironhide's voice cut across her, "Airlift has arrived." They had arrived at the desert and Evie hadn't even realised. Ahead of them, the green and red Chevrolets were sitting innocently in their car forms. Sarah and Annabelle were standing beside them, although their attention was focused on the approaching truck. To their side was, oddly enough, an airplane.

Will pulled up next to his family and jumped out, making a beeline for them. Evie got out of the passenger side and picked up her bag, coming around the front of the truck just as Will scooped Annabelle up into a big hug. She stood to the side, watching the cute little family scene. There was still a big ball of anxiety and fear sitting in her stomach; why was there a plane? Where were they going? Everything was moving so fast, she couldn't keep up.

Something hit the back of her legs and caused Evie to stagger forward. When she turned, she saw it was Skids that had nudged her with his bumper. "Hey lady! If you gonna pass out again, give a li'l warning and we'll catch you!"

Face burning with embarrassment, Evie nodded. "Right. Thanks."

"No problem!" Skids said cheerfully. Evie absently wondered where his voice was coming from - under the hood, maybe? "People be fainting all the time when they see us - they be shocked at our handsome faces."

"They be shocked at _my_ handsome face. They faint at _you_ 'cause yo' ugly." Mudflap had appeared beside his twin, and nudged him with his side door.

"Hey, we twins, dumbass!"

"Who you callin' dumbass?"

They transformed and lunged at each other in almost perfect synchronisation, and Evie yelped and had to dive out of the way to avoid getting crushed. Why was this happening to her?

From behind her came the sound of metallic whirring that she was beginning to associate with the Autobots' transformation, and then Ironhide was stepping forwards and bellowing. He grabbed Mudflap by the wing-like door appendages on his back and flung him away. He grabbed Skids by the back of the neck and did the same with him, but in the opposite direction. It was almost comical, watching them soar through the air, screeching and flailing. Ironhide seemed to find it funny, anyway.

Evie sat down heavily on the sand and stared up at the sheer size of Ironhide. He could crush her without a thought if he felt so inclined. She forced her mind away from that, and turned back to the Lennox's. Will had moved off to the plane, and was now talking to a man that was presumably the pilot. They were nodding and pointing at the Autobots. Evie had to assume that the man already knew about the giant aliens, as he barely batted an eyelid at them.

Speaking of barely batting an eyelid at them, Annabelle had actually raced over to Ironhide upon seeing him and jumped on his foot. It had nearly give Evie a heart attack, considering how easy it would be for the massive alien to misstep and accidentally crush her. But he surprised her by bending down and smiling softly at the little girl, and asking her how her day was. Annabelle, being Annabelle, immediately began a blow-by-blow account of her morning.

As Evie watched the little girl and the huge alien interact, Sarah came to stand next to her. "It's all a bit overwhelming, isn't it?"

"Yeah." said Evie, still dazed.

"Oh honey, you're bleeding." Sarah said suddenly, looking at Evie's shoulder and knees. "What happened?"

"Skids threw me onto the ground. Twice."

Mrs Lennox clicked her tongue disapprovingly. "Those two, I swear."

Everything felt so surreal - how on earth could Sarah be so _calm_ when there was a twenty foot tall alien talking to her five-year-old about princesses?

Sarah seemed to catch onto her thoughts, and she smiled sympathetically. "When I first saw Ironhide, I fainted and smacked my head off a flower pot. I got a pretty bad concussion, actually, which was pretty humiliating. But he's a sweetheart, really. He called Ratchet, their medic, to come and take a look at me to make sure I was alright. He was so guilty." She laughed at the memory.

"There are more of them?" Evie breathed, eyes wide. "Are they like the twins, or like Ironhide?"

That elicited a sharp laugh from Sarah, "The twins are pretty unique. Honestly, they're all just like people, Evie. They all look different and act different. They all have different personalities."

"I think I'm gonna pass out again."

Smiling, Mrs Lennox put a hand on Evie's shoulder. "You'll be fine, dear. Come on, it looks like it's time to go."

The pilot of the plane had climbed back into the cockpit, and Will was yelling and gesturing at Ironhide and the twins. Sarah called for Annabelle, and scooped her daughter up into her arms before taking Evie by the hand and dragging her to the aircraft. It was a cargo plane, so there were only a couple of seats and a big, wide open space. The girls settled into the seats and clipped themselves and Annabelle in safely, before turning to watch Will direct the Autobots (in vehicle mode once more) onto the plane and begin to strap them down.

Once the vehicles were secured, Will shouted to the pilot before sitting opposite his wife and strapping himself in. The high powered engines fired up, and the humans all held tight as the plane took off.

The silence in the plane wasn't broken until they were high in the sky; then Evie leaned forwards, her hands twisted nervously. "Where are we going?"

Will turned to look at her, as though he had forgotten she was there. "Classified."

Her mouth twisted, and she frowned. "Don't I have a right to know where you're taking me?"

"She does, dear." Sarah spoke without removing her gaze from Annabelle, who had fallen asleep in her seat.

Will scowled, and began tapping his fingers on his knee. "Secret naval base on an island in the Indian Ocean."

"Why?" Evie asked. She quailed at the look she got from Will.

"Because the neighbourhood isn't safe anymore." He turned to Sarah and took her hand. "I'm sorry, baby. I shouldn't have come, I've put everyone in dang-"

"Don't you _dare_." Sarah said sharply, eyes narrowing dangerously. "Don't you dare, William Lennox. I have waited two whole years to see you in person again. I don't care if you brought a whole damn army with you, we're all together, and that's all that matters."

"You're going to be relocated again." His voice was quiet, and his hand was slightly unsteady as he ran it through his hair. "I'm sorry."

Sarah squeezed his hand so hard that her knuckles turned white. "Don't spend the last few hours before we leave apologising. Just be happy we're all here and safe."

They stopped talking then, content to simply be near to each other as silence stretched over the plane. No one said another word for the rest of the journey.

**AN: hi guys! So, I would love it if you could leave a review? I'm still not very confident about my writing, so any tips or advice or constructive criticism would be hugely appreciated!**

**I wanted to say a huge thank you to those who took the time to review: FirstStrike1177, Dragon of Ying and Yang, Mysine, XxVentressxX, Gotta Dance 88, raven-saber, rosiegirl28, and XxMichelleMikaelsonxX**


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